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OK, first let me preface by saying we've been to various islands and accommodations of different qualities, in Polynesia, over a ten year span, some fantastic, some not so good. This place, sadly, was very disappointing. My wife and I went to Maupiti at short notice, and admittedly did not have a reservation made well in advance. We called many pensions, all with no vacancy. Maupiti Village said "yes, they had room available." Our mistake was not to ask exactly what kind of room. As other reviewers have said, the airport welcome was poor (we assumed because of our last minute booking), but the island of Maupiti is beautiful, and the ride to the motu very scenic. Our real disappointment started with the room we were given. Very small, with a double bed, a single bed and a small table. The open door and windows had traditional style polynesian curtains, just fine - until you look through one window - right into the adjoining room!!!!!, and the other window into the kitchen 10 feet away (a kitchen that started at 4:30 am). No mosquito net, really a necessity in Polynesia, and no fan. With hindsight, I believe we were actually given a room not normally rented, perhaps used for workers. The owner took advantage of our need for accommodation and made sure we paid for it. We were not told where the bathrooms were hidden. Unfortunately there were no better rooms available and no other pension with any vacancies, we were stuck for the night. We could bear just one night, not the three we had hoped for on this scenic island. Dinner was similarly poor, some type of noodle chow-main, some rather 'used looking' rice, bread, (no butter), stuffed (with what?) green peppers, and a sort of bread pudding desert. The water was from jugs, so probably not bottled - a questionable idea in most of Polynesia. We were offered no other drinks, no coffee or tea, no companionship with the owners, (compare this to the truly awesome traditional Tahitian fish dishes, and complete meals from Pension Kiria in Fakarava). My wife did get coffee upon request. The broken, dirty toilets enhanced the experience, as did the large grimy showers with no hooks, or otherwise, on which to place your clothes or towel. Sleep, on the ancient 4" foam mattress, that flattened to the boards, was sufficiently non existent, that we certainly didn't need our 5 am alarm to get up in time for the 6 am boat to the airport. We were given a banana and coffee for breakfast. The owner charged us 15000xpf (about $165) for this experience. On the plus side, the location really is good. The food may have been poor just for that one night, and the beach bungalows (much, much, more money) may be better. For us Maupiti Village doesn't work. It's tired and run down. We've stayed in five star hotels and small houses with no running water. Sadly, value for money, this was the worst.

Room Tip: Go elsewhere.

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Stayed: February 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask leavinghomeMaine about Pension Maupiti Village

2 Thank leavinghomeMaine

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Audine makes such great food for you for lunch and dinner! You will leave here amazed at how many different dishes she's able to come up with. We stayed for 5 nights and didn't eat anything twice. We took the full-pension because there is no way for you to buy anything on the island, and even buying water from the pension is expensive (450 PF).

The bungalows are in quite bad shape (compared to others we stayed at when visiting French Polynesia), and the mattresses aren't so comfortable (=not so romantic).

The beach right by their bungalow is more for snorkeling, but if you walk to the other side of the motu you will find great white sand beach.

If you are afraid of dogs you probably shouldn't visit this motu considering there are about 10 dogs living here and they will all bark at you and follow you around. Duke, the owners dog, was cute towards us. He followed us to the beach everyday and slept on our porch during the night and we liked it!

This was a bit of a splurge for us, but the reputation of Audine's cooking and the fact that we only had 2 nights in Maupiti made it doable for us. They only offer a full-board option with kids under 12 half price. The food was absolutely fantastic and plentiful and made up for some other minor irritations and drawbacks:- We had to wait 2 hours at the airport before being transported to the Motu (not because there were other guests coming, but because they run a little snack stand there and needed to close shop before taking us to the motu!) Fortunately, it was a gorgeous afternoon and we took to the lagoon for some swimming. The same thing happened at the end of our trip. They made us get up and out at 6am for our 9am flight so that they could open their snack shop and welcome new guests (who also had to sit waiting for 2 hours like we had done, but this time huddled in the rain and wind)- The snorkeling was not that good, but the spot would be an awesome place to stay for kiting. - No Internet at all.Highlights: walk around the motu, watch boats coming in an out at the pass.

Stayed: October 2011, traveled with family

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Ask Bearstar about Pension Maupiti Village

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Stayed there for 3 nights in the bungalow furthest away from the beach. Great food and the owner Alain, his wife and the girl who cooked were very nice. The daughter was a bit reluctant to me, as my French skills are around 0.The beach in front of the pension is good for snorkelling, but not for swimming. But you can walk for 5 mins to the other side of the Motu, and will discover a true paradise beach. Or take the free kayak and sail north, and you will have a empty beach all by yourself, unless the other few tourists, got the same idea. Alain took us to the motu opposite Motu Tiapaa for lunch one day, and it was just another wonderful beach. I felt really sad when had to leave Motu Tiapaa. Like leaving paradise, I guess?

Room Tip: Go to Pension Papahani, if you want the best swim

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Stayed: February 2011, traveled solo

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Ask Johnny_Jensen about Pension Maupiti Village

3 Thank Johnny_Jensen

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed here for 4 nights traveling with a young child. We had the beach bungalow; the lodging was very basic. However, the location was fantastic. It was located in front of a nice secluded beach with wonderful snorkeling. If you want to swim in calm blue water, you can walk to the other side of the motu (a 3 minutes walk) to swim in the clear azure lagoon. Audine and her children were very sweet and welcoming. Audine is a great cook. Breakfast is the traditional bread and jam/juice/coffee but lunch and dinner consisted of delicious 3 course meals and dessert. We often had seafood. We would spend the time lounging on the chairs in front of the beach, or taking walks along beach, collecting shells, and snorkeling. We went to the main town once and biked to the Tereai beach. Tereai beach is much nicer than the main beach in Bora Bora. We wished we had stayed longer on Maupiti, a true paradise and authentic Polynesian life

Stayed: June 2010, traveled with family

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Ask brigdo about Pension Maupiti Village

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed 6 nights at the Maupiti Village and it was one of our best experiences during our trip in the society islands. Audine, her husband Alain and the rest of the familiy just are amazaingly nice and adorable people. Audine is a fantastic cook and pleased us every day with delicious food and even good wine. The bungalows are basic (two beds, a little private bathroom with hot water) but spacious. The location is so great that you don't stay inside anyway.If you want to experience real polynesia feeling you should stay at Maupiti Village.

Stayed: June 2010, traveled as a couple

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Ask Noemie_jac about Pension Maupiti Village

3 Thank Noemie_jac

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

First of all, you HAVE to go to Maupiti! It’s a small, but very beautiful island. It was our first island we visited during our “island hopping” (6 islands in total) and we loved it.After reading the “Lonely Planet” guidebook and wondering how this accommodation would be (it said: ”According to most travellers, the best part of staying here is the food….”, “..Accommodation is clean but stark…”, “…flimsy mattresses..” ) we decided to go for this one. It is located on a small motu (a small islet) –Motu Tiapaa - and offers a great remoteness and tranquil atmosphere. Before stepping out of the plane prepare your camera, you will need it directly after landing on this beautiful piece of paradise. The “airport” hut is right next to an amazing beach and the beauty of this spot is mind-blowing! The most beautiful “airport” we have seen so far!

We were greated by a “Maupiti village” family member, who gave us a sweet scented “tiare” flower necklace and brought us to one of the boats which bring the arriving tourists to their accommodations. A short boat drive to the motu and – Voila, Welcome to paradise! ;-))

We stayed in one of the rooms (a basic particle-board room with 2 beds, (one queen size bed with a mosquito net, one single without) and colourful local style bed linen, a small table, a mirror). Light only during the late evenings and early mornings, …….Shared outside toilets and showers (cold water only!). We were lucky that we had no “neighbours” in the adjoining rooms during our stay, because the walls do not actually reach the ceiling! So, in case it is busy and you’ve got the wrong neighbours that can be an issue. You wouldn’t have that issue with any of the bungalows though.At “Maupiti Village” accommodation includes full board and this is understandable because there are no restaurants, no bars, no ATM, no streets, no cars, no boutiques etc…. just the beach and a simple life in paradise! We paid 14.000 XPF per night for 2 people (room incl. full board). The airport transfer costs 2.000 XPF per person/return. Credit cards are not accepted so make sure you have plenty of cash with you. Kayaks are free and these are really good, there is also an outrigger canoe….

The location is amazing and you will find yourself outside on the water or swimming, kayaking or snorkelling the whole day…. We used the kayaks a lot and also took the boat transfer to the main island one day (costs 1.500 XPF per person/return) to go to the beautiful Tereia Beach - don’t miss this one! A beautiful spot to enjoy a half-day or so. From the main “village” you will need to walk for at least half an hour to get there, but it’s worth it!

The food at “Maupiti Village” is truly DELICIOUS!!! This is an amazing possibility to taste the local food and to enjoy tasty seafood prepared in local style by the family. Breakfast consisted of baguette, butter, jam, coffee and black tea. Lunch and dinner – mostly the buffet style with several choices of meat and fish dishes, salads and local vegetables. One evening we had crayfish galore! Incredible and even as a group of 6 people we could not finish it! Portions are generous and you can be sure you won’t go to the bed feeling hungry. The desserts were also divine. If you leave for the whole day, the family will provide you with a sandwich or another “take away” meal, just ask. But remember, you will miss out on an amazing lunch then! ;-))

We were really happy that we choosed to stay here and can recommend it to everyone who is not expecting luxury (in this case you will need to go to Bora Bora resorts) and is fine with a basic but clean accommodation next to the beach. If you want a tranquil and personal experience, nice surroundings and tasty local food, “Maupiti Village” is for you! We had a look at one of the bungalows – it’s really nice, with own bathroom and shower, has a small terrace facing the beach - it could be another option, if you want some more comfort and are happy to pay more. There is some truth to the Lonely Planet comments (pretty basic, and flimsy mattresses), but for us the room was ok (having no neighbours…) and anybody looking for more comfort should just opt for one of the bungalows. You will still get the same great food! Check out the photos we have attached.

Enjoy Maupiti!

Stayed: August 2009, traveled as a couple

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Ask Fernweh2007 about Pension Maupiti Village

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.